Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5, 1928 — page 122: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

688 the morning, with a warning,” he con- tinues. ‘‘ Renwood won’t prefer no charges; Dawson didn’t do anything, anyway—he was stopped before he started.” Shorty flops in a big chair, and | climbed the stone stairway and peered into five empty cells. Dawson.was in the sixth, sprawled on a wooden bench, one leg dangling over to the floor. “ Dawson,” I says, guarded. He groans and holds his head. Then he blinks and sits up on the bench, peering out half-awake and hali-asleep. “You're in danger of being planted this morning,” I tells him, earnestly. “ The ideer is for the sheriff to release you at ten o’clock; Renwood and his cow-punchers will be waiting with the fixed plot of shooting you on sight. You won't even be armed.” The man continued to touch his head. “ Somebody bent a gun over your scalp last night jest as you had some notion of nicking Renwocd.” “TY was drunk,” he growled, shame- faced, “‘ or I’d never made such a fool play.” “Does you want to stay in the land of the living?” “Has I a chance?” “ Got a hoss?” “ Yeah, stabled at Mosby’s. But no gun; they took it away from me.” “T’ll give you a weapon, and let you out now, with a couple of hours start, if you play on my side of the fence. You want revenge on Renwood?” His blood-shot eyes was pleading. “That’s the only thing that ’Il make me happy.” Then I spoke slowly. “ You know this code: The Gorge City cattle pen need filling.” Dawson stood up, pressed forward till he had hold of the bars, and peered through at me. “You has the pass-words,” he whis- pered. Then I tried my Iuck on a new tack. I had to seem to know more than I ac- tually did. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “You was down south with Ren- wood when they ran cattle up?” I stated it as a fact. * What if I was?” “You remember the Hawley ranch and those two men who were blotted out?” Dawson opened his mouth in sur- prise, showing long, fanglike, yellow teeth. “How do you know all this, feller 2’ ““ Never mind, but there is a lot of hell a-brewing, and some folks is going to stew in their own fat. How’d you like to save yourself and at the same time send Renwood to the noose, and watch him swing?” “ How can I do that?” he whispers. “ By turning State’s evidence when ~ the time comes. I’m saving your life now—but I gives orders as a reward.” “To get Renwood I'll do anything you say,” Dawson answers hoarsely. “ Then get to your hoss and ride like fury to Fort Prescott, the county seat, and lay low when you get there. Savvy? Got any money?” “Not much.” I flipped him a twenty-dollar gold niece, “ But how ‘ll I know you?” he asks. “My name is Hawley,” I told him, aoe I want Renwood as bad as you 0.” “Pll play fair with you, partner,” he said huskily. “‘ You get me out of this jail and I'll be in Fort Prescott when you wants me Ask for me at Pedro’s, a Mexican joint out on the edge of town.” The man was trembling with excite- ment. I really believe he felt that I was saving his life. Mebbe he wouldn’t have been safe any longer in Gorge City; I dunno. Shorty unlocks the cell and gives Dawson back his gun. He affirms to me that he can be trusted, and I be- lieves him, for the hatred that shone in his eyes when he mentioned Ren- wood’s name was like a devil fire. “he next we sees of him . when A Gom Eboo S (C@